Trip Report Rise of the Popcorn Bucket

Hello everyone & a warm welcome to you!! As always, lots of fun was had on this trip with the star of the show(besides J, of course) being none other than E's nemesis, the popcorn bucket!! I'm super excited to share our adventures with you!!

WHO: I think you know us but.....myself-Patti, R(I think I've converted him to a full blown Disney fan even though he claims he likes coming for the restaurants), my sister E & my super fun, partner in crime(in more ways than one on this trip) J!!

WHEN: Friday, January 17th - Monday, January 20th(gotta go around those darn school schedules when you have family in the education field)

WHERE(I hope you're sitting down for this one!): Art of Animation

There was no room at the inn at Riverside so we decided to stay here b/c we thought J would really like the Cars suite. In the end we created a monster b/c he has now decided that AoA is his favorite!!

PREAMBLE
We last left off with JSR smuggling the popcorn buckets out of his house for me. BTW--J was in on this too & I was very proud of him for keeping it a secret for so long!!

They were heading to WDW with me!! Also, you may be wondering why there are two. You see, E's hatred for the popcorn bucket didn't just start on our trip in November. A few years ago she, JSR & J were on a Disney cruise & JSR bought the Santa Mickey bucket that you see there. She couldn't stand it back then on the cruise & her feelings really haven't changed. If anything, they've gotten worse!!

We had a 3:50 flight b/c someone(the guy in education) had a half day of school & didn't want to miss work. We met at E's at 12:30 & JSR drove us to the airport. I had went to work that morning & before I left I bought a case of water & put 12 in my suitcase. My boss was busy making fun of me for not buying it in Disney. I told him I had the space in my suitcase & these bottles were for the room. Why spend $3.50 per bottle when I could spend $4.99 for a case of Aquafina?? BTW--it was well worth it. We only had 2 bottles left at the end of the trip!!

Check out J's cute suitcase!!

He's ready to go!! J said that he wanted me to sit next to him in the car. On the way to the airport he told me that he wanted to sit next to me on the plane & the ME. I asked E why he wanted to be my BFF. She said she didn't know but earlier that day out of the blue he told her, "I really like Aunt Patti". I think he saw jelly beans in his future!!

We checked our bags in at curbside & the Southwest agent started humming The March of the First Order when he saw J's suitcase. It was cute. He also profoundly thanked us for the tips b/c he said that it had been a slow day.

J was excited to get on the "monorail". Even though R was still in his work clothes he was somewhat in Disney mode with the Star Wars tie he was wearing!!

We went to TGI Friday's for lunch. We got some kind of combo platter & shared everything. The potstickers & breadsticks were especially good!! That wine wasn't bad either!!

Meanwhile, J was enjoying the cheese sticks!!

 

[Laura Loves Tigger]

Glad you are back! I imagine the past few weeks (and continuing) have been crazy busy for you at work.

 

[annienevells]

Welcome back!!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

We headed towards Adventureland for our first FP. I was pushing the stroller & J was doing his best to aggravate me by walking in front of it & stopping all of a sudden for no reason at all.

Your patience must be Herculean!


YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy you are back. I'm sure your job is just pure insanity right now and R's is as well. I can't imagine being ADmin as the school tries Distance Learning. It's hard enough to do it as a teacher. I hope you get back to the World soon!

 

[RememberWhen]

Can’t wait to hear the rest! Though if it does take another month I’ll still be here and be happy you’re back again!

 

[fizzieee]

Welcome back! We need more TR details to get us through this crazy time!

 

[lindawdw]

I'm so happy to see you back on the boards and updating your TR!!! I was worried about you with all that's going on knowing you work in a supermarket. I give such praise to all the people who are out there, stocking the shelves and providing this service for us all. . Your recap was perfect! It truly is incredible that Disney was still selling the Christmas popcorn buckets! The FP line for JC has been really long this past year but I'm glad it moved quickly for you.

 

[Tiggertoo56]

Your patience must be Herculean!


YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy you are back. I'm sure your job is just pure insanity right now and R's is as well. I can't imagine being ADmin as the school tries Distance Learning. It's hard enough to do it as a teacher. I hope you get back to the World soon!

I'm doing admin in the UK for a veterinarian course at university and it is difficult working from home and dealing with setting up the online systems (already have some but these are more interactive).
So thankful for all those medics and store workers who are carrying on with their jobs during this insane time.

 

[Rista1313]

Welcome back.... have you been having run trying to keep TP supplied to the masses? I still can't find any...

I know my opinion is unpopular, but I don't love the popcorn like everyone else... just tastes like movie theatre popcorn to me... shrug.

 

[Darstarr]

I kept hollering that not only was he wrong for doing that but he was wasting my money by feeding it to the birds

 

[MickeyCB]

So glad you've picked up your tale again!

 

[MickeyCB]

View attachment 460482

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
That's a good one, it makes you smile!

 

[LisaBelle]

So glad you're back! Loved the recap. I told you people would still be interested ! I was laughing so hard when I saw that they were still selling the Christmas popcorn buckets. Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

So happy you are back!

 

[Katiekitten]

I’m glad you’re back. I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

 

[Songbird76]

While we were at the airport R realized that he forgot his earbuds. I told him to buy them in one of the shops. He took one look at the price($50.00) & said he would do without. What that really meant was I was the one who would have to do without Why do other peoples problems become mine?? I wouldn't have cared so much(actually I did b/c SVU was on) but he fell asleep almost immediately so there he was sleeping while I could have been using the earbuds!

I feel your pain!! My earbuds lived on my husband's nightstand for a while because he forgot to bring his upstairs and then kept forgetting them. So he borrowed mine and then just didn't give them back. It's the same with powerbanks to charge the phones. I buy one, he "borrows" it, and then I end up just buying a new one because he didn't give mine back and I don't know where he put it. I now have 3 or 4 of them and I only know where ONE of them is.

PS. I'm sorry...I know I'm super late. But I'm here now!

 

[Songbird76]

About the cupcake on Mickey, I've followed a few vlogs from CPs and they said that they are trained to look for special moments....if someone is wearing a first visit button, for example, or everyone is familiar with the birthday buttons. But there are also ones when a CM might overhear you talking about something that touches them in some way and makes them want to do something for you. Like a family who is getting bracelets engraved to mark a trip that they were supposed to take with Grandpa who just recently passed. It's possible that the CM thought you were a single mom with her son and wanted to do something magical thinking this was a once in a lifetime trip. Or if he heard J call you Aunt Patti and thought you were a pretty awesome aunt to bring him to Disney, etc. Or you were wearing some piece of clothing with a favorite of his....like, you're wearing a HM lanyard and that's his favorite ride. Who knows, but there was probably something about you that made him connect with you and want to do something for you. It could have also been how well J was behaving, because those CMs see so much bad behavior from guests, spoiled and entitled kids demanding they get a treat, etc. A kid who is well-behaved and who appreciates what he's being given sometimes stands out to them.

I was just wondering how your grandma is? Is she still hanging in there? And how is the rest of your family? I'm sure it's hard, especially now. Over here, no one is allowed to visit those in hospitals, hospice facilities, etc....can you still visit her? I'm sorry if I'm bringing up things you'd rather not dwell on.

 

[riverside]

Welcome back and thanks for the recap!

You're welcome!! Thanks for hanging in there!!

It’s lovely to see you back. Hope you and your family are well in all this chaos. Reminded me that I need to restart my report as well

Thank you!! We're all doing well. I'm not doing such a good job--it's been almost a week since I last posted! Working in a grocery store in this current state is nuts!!

Glad you are back! I imagine the past few weeks (and continuing) have been crazy busy for you at work.

Thank you!! It's been crazy busy. Our ongoing issue is getting product. B/c of all the panic buying the manufacturers can't keep up. I make 3 grocery orders a week(this doesn't count dairy, frozen, deli, bakery, meat or produce). My orders average about 2000 pieces--we're getting anywhere between 350-500 pieces per order. Not good.....

Welcome back!! ❤

Thank you--it's great to be back!!

Your patience must be Herculean!


YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy you are back. I'm sure your job is just pure insanity right now and R's is as well. I can't imagine being ADmin as the school tries Distance Learning. It's hard enough to do it as a teacher. I hope you get back to the World soon!

My mistake was getting an annoyed reaction--that made him do it even more!! He's at that age.....

Mine is nuts but at least it's keeping me busy(I'm happy the panic buying has slowed). I'd be going crazy with nothing to do all this time & I'm thankful to still be getting a paycheck. R said his teachers are doing a good job with the distance learning. He's actually happy at how well it is going. They started it on March 16th so they're pretty much in the groove of things. He stills goes to school b/c it's easier to do things from there then bringing half his office home. He's the only one there so he doesn't come into contact with anyone else. He seems to have zoom meetings with the teachers every other day. I have a May trip scheduled but I highly doubt that it's going to happen, unfortunately.

Can’t wait to hear the rest! Though if it does take another month I’ll still be here and be happy you’re back again!

Thank you!! That is so nice of you to say!! With the way I'm going it might take me another month!!

Welcome back! We need more TR details to get us through this crazy time!

Thank you!! A crazy time it's been--I'll be happy when we're back to normal--although I'm saving lots of money not being able to do anything!!

I'm so happy to see you back on the boards and updating your TR!!! I was worried about you with all that's going on knowing you work in a supermarket. I give such praise to all the people who are out there, stocking the shelves and providing this service for us all. . Your recap was perfect! It truly is incredible that Disney was still selling the Christmas popcorn buckets! The FP line for JC has been really love this past year but I'm glad it moved quickly for you.

Thank you for your concern! When this first started & the panic buying was going on I kid you not for 3 days straight I rang a cash register b/c we didn't have enough employees to handle the masses. At the time our hours were 7:00 am-10:00 pm & I was on that register THE. WHOLE. TIME. It was unbelievable. Fortunately, it's calmed down & I'm not stuck doing that. I wasn't getting any work done. We reduced our hours & we're now closing at 8:00 so that has helped tremendously. Thank you for your appreciation!!
I'm glad you enjoyed the recap!! E couldn't stop making fun of me for all my plotting & planning then how I kept talking about how appalled I was that people were still using them only to have it come back & bite me in the a**!! It was pretty funny though!!

I'm doing admin in the UK for a veterinarian course at university and it is difficult working from home and dealing with setting up the online systems (already have some but these are more interactive).
So thankful for all those medics and store workers who are carrying on with their jobs during this insane time.

That's why R is glad that he can still go to his office. It's much easier working from there. I know the teachers aren't allowed in but he can get things for them that they need & leave it outside for them to pick up.

Welcome back.... have you been having run trying to keep TP supplied to the masses? I still can't find any...

I know my opinion is unpopular, but I don't love the popcorn like everyone else... just tastes like movie theatre popcorn to me... shrug.

Thank you!! We're lucky if we get in a few cases on each delivery. It's pretty much gone as soon as it hits the shelves. In all seriousness if you can't find it let me know. I may or may not have some stashed--advantage to working in a grocery store

It's just ok to me. I'm not a huge popcorn fan though b/c I hate when it gets stuck in my teeth!!

So glad you've picked up your tale again!

Thank you & I'm enjoying yours!!

So glad you're back! Loved the recap. I told you people would still be interested ! I was laughing so hard when I saw that they were still selling the Christmas popcorn buckets. Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

Thanks!! You were right!! It was pretty funny--I couldn't believe it myself! Too bad they weren't out the first day at HS--I wouldn't have ended up buying another one. But, it did add humor to the whole thing & the TR so I guess it was worth it!!

So happy you are back!

Thank you!! It's great to be back!!

I’m glad you’re back. I hope you are all keeping safe and well.

Thank you!! Doing my best to keep my hands washed/sanitized constantly. It's tough b/c we're so busy but it's a necessity!!

I feel your pain!! My earbuds lived on my husband's nightstand for a while because he forgot to bring his upstairs and then kept forgetting them. So he borrowed mine and then just didn't give them back. It's the same with powerbanks to charge the phones. I buy one, he "borrows" it, and then I end up just buying a new one because he didn't give mine back and I don't know where he put it. I now have 3 or 4 of them and I only know where ONE of them is.

PS. I'm sorry...I know I'm super late. But I'm here now!

The last time he borrowed my iphone charger & gave it back he actually(I know he did it on purpose) gave me his charger back--the wire was frayed......

You're not super late--I'm struggling to add to this b/c of our current state of affairs.

About the cupcake on Mickey, I've followed a few vlogs from CPs and they said that they are trained to look for special moments....if someone is wearing a first visit button, for example, or everyone is familiar with the birthday buttons. But there are also ones when a CM might overhear you talking about something that touches them in some way and makes them want to do something for you. Like a family who is getting bracelets engraved to mark a trip that they were supposed to take with Grandpa who just recently passed. It's possible that the CM thought you were a single mom with her son and wanted to do something magical thinking this was a once in a lifetime trip. Or if he heard J call you Aunt Patti and thought you were a pretty awesome aunt to bring him to Disney, etc. Or you were wearing some piece of clothing with a favorite of his....like, you're wearing a HM lanyard and that's his favorite ride. Who knows, but there was probably something about you that made him connect with you and want to do something for you. It could have also been how well J was behaving, because those CMs see so much bad behavior from guests, spoiled and entitled kids demanding they get a treat, etc. A kid who is well-behaved and who appreciates what he's being given sometimes stands out to them.

I was just wondering how your grandma is? Is she still hanging in there? And how is the rest of your family? I'm sure it's hard, especially now. Over here, no one is allowed to visit those in hospitals, hospice facilities, etc....can you still visit her? I'm sorry if I'm bringing up things you'd rather not dwell on.

That's interesting. Thank you for sharing that!!

Thank you for asking. My grandma actually passed away on March 6th. Her funeral was on the 11th & the next day all h*** broke loose in the world. It's been a month but it feels like she passed an eternity ago with everything that's been going on. We're not allowed in hospitals, nursing homes etc. here either. My dad(God bless him--he loses his wife & mother within a year of each other) says it was actually a blessing that she passed when she did b/c if she were still alive no one would be able to go see her. Grandma was pretty strong in her faith so I'm happy that we were able to have the traditional visitation/Catholic funeral. That was actually one of the last funerals that E had at her funeral home. There's no visitations or funerals allowed now. It's crazy. Someone passes & they take them right to the cemetery to be buried.

Not trying to shed light on Grandma's passing(& I hope no one thinks this was out of place to do this) but this was the first time all of her grandchildren were together in years so I had said that we should take a picture at the luncheon after the funeral. Who knows when it will happen again. Even for weddings someone is always missing(quite a few live out of town). One of my cousins is supposed to get married in May & now it's postponed until June but I'm even wondering if that is going to happen.

So, here we are--the grandchildren(unfortunately, I'm the oldest of the clan!!)

And here's the great-grandchildren(unfortunately, 4 are missing though).
You may recognize some of them from my TR's--
Back row-my niece B(1st), my niece E(3rd), my niece H(4th)
Front row-my nephew C(1st), my niece A(2nd), my nephew Z(4th),--You probably don't need a refresher for the 5th kid in!!

Also, my sister C sent this to me the other day. I hope you all enjoy it!! I thought it was pretty funny!!

Take care everyone & thank you for hanging in there with me!! I promise I'll update this in the next few days!!
Stay safe!!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I'm sorry about your grandmother but I'm so happy your whole family could get together. Sounds like your dad is doing well, all things considered. Sending positive vibes and I'm so glad work is going well for you and R, if not busy!

 

[Swissmiss]

Sorry to hear about your grandmother but I am happy for you that it happened when you could still hold a service for her. It’s sad to think of people who can’t hold services for loved ones.

I’ve found it very strange what sorts of things are out of stock at our grocery stores (it’s got to be a production/supply chain issue) but the one thing we have not been able to get is refrigerated pizza dough (you just unroll it onto a cookie sheet). We will often make pizza adding sauce and grated mozzarella - my teen loves it and is willing to make it so it’s a win-win for me because I don’t have to cook. But there has been none in the grocery store down the street from us. And while there is food in the grocery stores it is hit or miss, which makes meal planning a bit tricky so last week I decided to put in an online order and was able to get a delivery slot for tomorrow - so I made sure to add a couple of packages of the pizza dough. This evening I got a text message that my order will be delivered minus the pizza dough. Luckily I thought ahead though and added a bag of pizza flour - looks like my teen is going to have to learn how to make her own dough if she wants some pizza.

Stay safe!

 

[Katiekitten]

I’m sorry to hear about your grandmas passing.